MILLIONAIRE gypsy Alfie Best has bought a second North Wales caravan park.

The 42-year-old Essex entrepreneur acquired Bryn Gynog in Conwy following his purchase of Willow Park, Mancot, earlier this year.

He is looking to invest in both sites and says Bryn Gynog is the “jewel in the crown” of company Wyldecrest Parks.

Wyldecrest now has 38 sites and is the second largest residential mobile park provider in the UK. Caravans are second nature to the Romany gypsy, whose business was reportedly valued at £100million. A former amateur boxer, he was even born at the side of the road in Leicester.

Now living in Chigwell, he insists his experiences as a child are to thank for where he is today and says he has big plans for his Conwy and Flintshire sites, as well as plans to expand his empire across the Atlantic in the coming months.

In an exclusive interview with Business Post, Alfie, who turned down a request to be included in the Sunday Times Rich List because the high life is “alien” to him, said: “Life did start at the side of the road for me, in a caravan. So I guess you could say who better than a Romany gypsy to own caravan parks?”

Alfie’s mother and father travelled a lot, and as a result he attended several different schools. Sadly, one constant in his life was bullying.

“They didn’t understand me because I was different. So I’d get attacked at school, and then when I came home, because the other traveller kids on the site knew I was going to school, I’d get it all over again,” he said.

But the knocks did not deter Alfie, who decided to fight back. He took up boxing and lost just four out of 63 boxing bouts. At this point his business mind started ticking over too.

Alfie began buying and selling cars and vans as a teenager, before moving onto to work in a phone shop.

“I walked up and down the streets of Ilford looking at the businesses and the mobile phone shops were full of customers,” he said.

Weeks later he opened his own, and within 18 months had 13 mobile phone stores across London. Alfie and wife Emily were content, but he wanted bigger... and a return to home comforts. The home comforts he knew best of all.

Starting out small in Essex, he bought a local caravan park. Steadily his firm grew across the UK as he acquired more and more sites.

“I took to it like a duck to water,” he said.

“It’s in the blood, it’s what I know.”

Now Alfie is keen to make his mark in Wales and says his parks in the north are arguably the best in Wyldecrest’s portfolio.

“Bryn Gynog is the jewel in the crown,” he said.

“It overlooks Conwy Castle and is in a beautiful part of the world. When I went to buy it I wasn’t sure whether I’d be locked-up in a tower!

“The site hadn’t had a lot of money spent on it, there were leaks and the electricity supply was poor. Together with the residents’ association we’ll be looking at that and to invest and bring it back to its former glory.”

He added: “This is a retirement park so it’s all about the mindset. We want people to relax and enjoy a better way of life. A caravan park is a living organism. We will be looking to purchase another park in North Wales and I have put in an offer for a park in Brittany, France. I’d also like to own parks in America but my first commitment is to the parks I own and making them the best out there.”